Method and system for controlling link saturation of synchronous data across packet networks

Abstract

A method for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network comprising the steps of establishing a communication route along a plurality of interconnected secondary nodes, determining an amount of available network and determining whether to admit the data packets to the communication route based on the determined amount of available network bandwidth. Also disclosed is a system for implementing the method comprising a first provider edge element, a second provider edge element, a plurality of interconnected secondary nodes disposed between the edge elements. Each of the secondary nodes comprises at least one first detection device for determining an amount of available network bandwidth and at least one admission device in communication with the respective first detection device for determining whether to admit the data packets to the communication route based on the determined amount of available network bandwidth.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the method comprising the steps of:
 establishing a communication route on a shared medium from a first provider edge (PE) element to a second provider edge element with (i) at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link and (ii) a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between the primary nodes of the edge elements with each node establishing a link with the next successive node and the links combining to establish the communication route, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 using a detection device to determine, at each node, an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across each of the links of the communication route; and 
 using an admission device to determine, at each node, whether to admit the data packets to each of the links of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets, and (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth across the respective link, wherein the step of using an admission device to determine whether to admit is performed at each of the respective secondary nodes, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes, and without sending a bandwidth metric signal back to the edge element from which the data packet came. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 determining whether or not bi-directional flow exists across the communication route when the amount of available network bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the data packets across the communication route. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 determining whether or not PWE flow exists across the communication route when the amount of available network bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the data packets across the communication route. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of using a detection device to determine an amount of available network bandwidth comprises the steps of:
 using a respective detection device to determine bandwidth available across each of the links of the communication route; 
 using the respective detection device to determine bandwidth required to transmit the data packet across each of the links of the communication route; and 
 comparing the required bandwidth with the respective available bandwidth for each link. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the controlling of admissions operates continuously. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising the step of:
 adjusting the determined amount of available network bandwidth across at least one of the links of the communication route. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the determination of an amount of available network bandwidth is based upon the adjusted amount of available network bandwidth. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 separating the packets into a plurality of groups of packets, wherein each packet is assigned a priority value and is assigned to one of the plurality of groups of packets based on the respective assigned priority value. 
 
     
     
       9. A method for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the method comprising the steps of:
 establishing a communication route on a shared medium from a first provider edge (PE) element to a second provider edge element with (i) at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link and (ii) a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between the primary nodes of the edge elements with each node establishing a link with the next successive node and the links combining to establish the communication route, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 using a detection device to determine, at each node, an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across each of the links of the communication route; 
 determining whether a bi-directional flow exists in the communication route; and 
 using an admission device to determine, at each node, whether to admit the data packets to each of the links of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets, (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth across the respective link, and (iv) the determination of whether or not bi-directional flow exists, wherein the step of using an admission device to determine whether to admit is performed at each of the respective secondary nodes, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the step of:
 blocking packet flow until bi-directional flow exists. 
 
     
     
       11. A method for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the method comprising the steps of:
 establishing a communication route on a shared medium from a first provider edge (PE) element to a second provider edge element with (i) at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link and (ii) a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between the primary nodes of the edge elements with each node establishing a link with the next successive node and the links combining to establish the communication route, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 using a detection device to determine, at each node, an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across each of the links of the communication route; 
 determining, at each secondary node, whether a pseudo-wire emulation (PWE) flow exists across the communication route; and 
 using an admission device to determine, at each node, whether to admit the data packets to each of the links of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets, (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth across the respective link, and (iv) the determination of whether or not PWE flow exists, wherein the step of using an admission device to determine whether to admit is performed at each of the respective secondary nodes, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes. 
 
     
     
       12. A method for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the method comprising the steps of:
 establishing a communication route on a shared medium from a first provider edge (PE) element to a second provider edge element with at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link and a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between the primary nodes of the edge elements with each node establishing a link with the next successive node and the links combining to establish the communication route, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 using a detection device to determine, at each node, an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across each of the links of the communication route; 
 determining whether a bi-directional flow exists in the communication route; 
 determining, at each secondary node, whether a pseudo-wire emulation (PWE) flow exists across the communication route; and 
 using an admission device to determine, at each node, whether to admit the data packets to each of the links of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets, (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth across the respective link, and (iv) the determination of whether or not PWE flow exists, wherein the step of using an admission device to determine whether to admit is performed at each of the respective secondary nodes, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  , further comprising the step of:
 when a determination not to admit one or more data packets is made, refraining from transmitting the one or more data packets that are not admitted. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of:
 when a later determination to admit the previously non-admitted data packets is made, transmitting the previously non-admitted data packets. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the step of:
 discarding non-admitted packets. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
 separating the packets into at least a first group of higher priority packets and second group of lower priority packets. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
 dropping a flow of at least one of the lower priority packets to liberate additional bandwidth; and 
 determining an adjusted amount of available bandwidth. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the step of using an admission device to determine whether to admit further comprises the step of transmitting the respective data packets across the respective link of the communication route when the adjusted amount of available network bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the data packets across the respective link of the communication route, bi-directional flow exists, and PWE flow exists. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the step of:
 when a determination not to admit one or more data packets is made, refraining from transmitting the one or more data packets that are not admitted. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of:
 when a later determination to admit the previously non-admitted data packets is made, transmitting the previously non-admitted data packets. 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 dropping a flow of at least one of the admitted lower priority packets in favor of a higher priority packet. 
 
     
     
       22. A system for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the system comprising:
 a first provider edge (PE) element; 
 a second provider edge element; 
 at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link; 
 a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between primary nodes of the first and second edge elements; 
 each node establishing a link on a shared medium with the next successive node; 
 the links combining to establish a communication route between the edge elements, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one first detection device for determining an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across the respective link of the communication route; and 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one admission device in communication with the respective first detection device for determining whether to admit the data packets to the respective link of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets, and (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes, and without sending a bandwidth metric signal back to the edge element from which the data packet came. 
 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 22 , wherein each of the first detection devices determines the respective amount of available network bandwidth by:
 determining bandwidth available on the respective link of the communication route; 
 determining bandwidth required to transmit the data packet across the respective link of the communication route; and 
 comparing the required bandwidth with the respective available bandwidth. 
 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 22 , wherein each of the nodes further comprises a prioritization device for separating the data packets into at least a first group of higher priority packets and second group of lower priority packets. 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 24 , wherein each of the prioritization devices is configured to perform the steps of:
 dropping a flow of at least one of the lower priority packets to liberate additional bandwidth; and 
 determining an adjusted amount of available bandwidth across the respective link. 
 
     
     
       26. The system of  claim 25 , wherein each of the admission devices determines whether to admit the data packets to the communication route based (i) the adjusted amount of available network bandwidth, (ii) whether or not a bi-directional flow exists, and (iii) whether or not a PWE flow exists. 
     
     
       27. The system of  claim 26 , wherein each of the secondary nodes further comprises a transmitter for transmitting the respective data packets across the respective link of the communication route when the adjusted amount of available network bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the data packets across the communication route, bi-directional flow exists, and PWE flow exists. 
     
     
       28. The system of  claim 27 , wherein each of the transmitters refrains from transmitting the one or more data packets that are not admitted when a determination not to admit one or more data packets is made. 
     
     
       29. The system of  claim 28 , wherein each of the transmitters transmits the previously non-admitted data packets when a later determination to admit the previously non-admitted data packets is made. 
     
     
       30. The system of  claim 29 , wherein the system is configured to operate continuously. 
     
     
       31. The system of  claim 30 , wherein each of the prioritization devices continuously adjusts the determined amount of available network bandwidth across the respective link. 
     
     
       32. The system of  claim 31 , wherein the step of determining the availability of sufficient network bandwidth across each of the links is performed continuously and is based upon the continuously adjusted amount of available network bandwidth across the respective link. 
     
     
       33. The system of  claim 32 , wherein each of the prioritization devices drops a flow of at least one of the admitted lower priority packets in favor of a higher priority packet. 
     
     
       34. The system of  claim 24 , wherein each of the prioritization devices separates the packets into a plurality of groups of packets, wherein each packet is assigned a priority value and is assigned to one of the plurality of groups of packets based on the respective assigned priority value. 
     
     
       35. A system for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the system comprising:
 a first provider edge (PE) element; 
 a second provider edge element; 
 at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link; 
 a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between primary nodes of the first and second edge elements; 
 each node establishing a link on a shared medium with the next successive node; 
 the links combining to establish a communication route between the edge elements, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one first detection device for determining an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across the respective link of the communication route; 
 each of the primary nodes comprises at least one second detection device for determining whether a bi-directional flow exists across the communication route; and 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one admission device in communication with the respective first and second detection devices for determining whether to admit the data packets to the respective link of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets., (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth across the respective link, and (iv) whether or not bi-directional flow exists, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes. 
 
     
     
       36. A system for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the system comprising:
 a first provider edge (PE) element; 
 a second provider edge element; 
 at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link; 
 a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between primary nodes of the first and second edge elements; 
 each node establishing a link on a shared medium with the next successive node; 
 the links combining to establish a communication route between the edge elements, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one first detection device for determining an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across the respective link of the communication route; 
 each of the primary nodes comprises at least one second detection device for determining whether a PWE flow exists across the communication route; and 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one admission device in communication with the respective first, and second detection devices for determining whether to admit the data packets to the respective link of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets, (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth, and (iv) whether or not PWE flow exists, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes. 
 
     
     
       37. A system for controlling admissions of data packets across a packet network, the system comprising:
 a first provider edge (PE) element; 
 a second provider edge element; 
 at least one primary node connected to each edge element to establish a link; 
 a plurality of secondary nodes disposed between primary nodes of the first and second edge elements; 
 each node establishing a link on a shared medium with the next successive node; 
 the links combining to establish a communication route between the edge elements, wherein each of a plurality of Universal Data Protocol (UDP) packets transmitted across the packet network has at least one predetermined, fixed port number, and wherein each of the secondary nodes utilizes a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) payload type field to determine priority of packets containing the predetermined fixed port number; 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one first detection device for determining an amount of available network bandwidth for transmission of the data packets across the respective link of the communication route; 
 each of the primary nodes comprises at least one second detection device for determining whether a bi-directional flow exists across the communication route; 
 each of the primary nodes comprises at least one third detection device for determining whether a PWE flow exists across the communication route; and 
 each of the nodes comprising at least one admission device in communication with the respective first, second, and third detection devices for determining whether to admit the data packets to the respective link of the communication route based on (i) the at least one predetermined, fixed port number, (ii) the determined priority of packets, (iii) the determined amount of available network bandwidth, (iv) whether or not bi-directional flow exists, and (v) whether or not PWE flow exists, without exchanging network bandwidth metrics between the first provider edge element and the second provider edge element through the secondary nodes. 
 
     
     
       38. The system of  claim 37 , wherein each of the nodes further comprises a transmitter for transmitting the respective data packets across the communication route when the amount of available network bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the data packets across the respective link, bi-directional flow exists, and PWE flow exists. 
     
     
       39. The system of  claim 38 , wherein each of the transmitters refrains from transmitting the one or more data packets that are not admitted when a determination not to admit one or more data packets is made. 
     
     
       40. The system of  claim 39 , wherein each of the transmitters transmits the previously non-admitted data packets when a later determination to admit the previously non-admitted data packets is made.